Democracy is about choices. Real choices, not dummies. And a multiparty political system delivers them best. Data speak so. Look around at countries with no political party or a pretender party.
Russia and Central Asian republics stand out among this small crowd. In such countries, it is Hobson’s choice. Take it or do time in the Gulag, they seem to say. It is Henry Ford one more time: you can have a car of any colour so long as it is black.
A two-party or a dominant two-party system isn’t much better. Take the case of Britain. It is Boris Johnson once, twice and perhaps three times a leader.
Choice seems to have a whole new meaning in this most insular of all nations. Choice isn’t faring any better in the land of the American dreams. The impeachment proceedings of United States President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton do not have a good narrative for a two-party system.
A decade ago, the Republican-dominated Congress started impeachment proceedings against Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, but the Democrat-majority Senate saved him. Expect the same to happen to Trump.
It is 1999 all over again in 2019 America. The US should heed the words of political scholar Arend Lijphart: the US or any other country has much to gain by adopting a multiparty political system. Because it produces “kinder and gentler” public policies and higher quality institutions.
For countries like Malaysia, which is multiethnic, multiparty politics is a big plus. Not only Lijphart, but others too say this: if we want social tolerance, we must have a politics that brings with it choices.
Real choices, that is. A look around the globe confirms this. New Zealand and Germany are good examples. We would have included India in the list, but there debates trump decisions. This is one type of democracy Malaysia can do without.
But this diversity must come with parties that are scandal-shy. Parties that have dreams of being in the august house of Parliament must be free from corrupt leaders. Because corrupt leaders — and we use this term in the widest sense possible — can’t offer choices. Good, untainted choices, that is. There is room enough for political parties of many stripes.
We believe diversity of political parties will make Malaysia a high-discourse country. Discourse within and without the federal and state legislatures will uncover issues, especially those that have gone unspoken for long. The marginalised must be taken out of the fringes. Only multiparty politics can enable an inclusive society.
This requires a good deal of hard work. But energy is being spent elsewhere. Fighting court cases and repairing damaged reputations. Take the case of Umno. Like the Conservatives in Britain, the Putra World Trade Centre-headquartered party just doesn’t get the message. Let’s repeat the 14th General Election message: people want fresh and clean leaders, not those who will spend more time in court than in Parliament.
PKR too needs a brutal introspection. If the party’s leaders can’t keep PKR united, how are they going to keep a nation united? Not to mention anything about scandals. Our advice to all and sundry: take a hard look within. And lead by example, please.